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Saturday, September 3, 2011

Aly, Trey & Willow - Rescued with Love

Aly, Trey & Willow are three special dogs rescued by two very special people. I want to tell you their stories, even though it may be dififcult to hear. It was an honor to photograph them and so beautiful to see how happy they are in their new forever home!

Aly (tan greyound) - (Racing Name: Tyville Sing It) Aly was a grade A racer and won many of her races. Unfortunately, Aly was one of a few survivors in an abuse case:

Washington County, Florida, is home to a greyhound racing track, Ebro Greyhound Park.

When trainer Ronald Williams surrendered 8 severely underweight dogs to the Emerald Coast chapter of Greyhound Pets of America, GPAEC notified officials from Florida Department of Pari-Mutuel Waging. An inspection by officials on October 29, 2010 found 32 dead greyhounds at the track [other news sources say 37 dogs], and 5 live dogs in horrific condition with duct tape around their throats. The decomposed bodies of 8 additional greyhounds were found November 1, 2010, dumped below a bridge along Highway 20 in Walton County, just west of Ebro and only yards from Williams' residence.

Aly was one of the 5 live dogs found with duct tape. She was completely emaciated. On her way from Florida to Alabama to Michigan, the truck broke down and Aly had to live in the truck. When she finally came to Michigan, she was very scared. We went to adopt Trey and when we saw her (she had only arrived a few days before), scared with big bright eyes, we knew we had to take her. She is now a happy, healthy dog who continuously wags her tail and smiles.

Trey (Black and White Greyhound) - (Racing Name: Ale Trey's Choice) Upon Trey's "Retirement," i.e. she was not fast enough on the track, Trey was placed into the "Second Chance At Life" Prison Obedience Program and lived for 8 weeks with prisoners who trained her. This program let Trey develop more socialization skills and helped the prisoners learn love and care.

Willow (Afghan Hound) - She was found as a stray and turned into a high-kill shelter. Right before she was put down, she was adopted by the Indiana Rescue group Homeward Bound. The rescue group hesitated about adopting her out since she was emaciated at 25 lbs (and should be about 55 lbs) with hook worms and ear infections. Though, we adopted her and now she is 55 lbs, healthy and happy.